Mid day Meals for Disabled Children

Mid day meals for disabled children

(Project #16999 – By Balajothi Centre for the Disabled Trust)

Project goal $19,800 / Funds raised to date $10,637.41

Project report due on : June 16, 2020 / Report sent on June 10, 2020

Need and importance

In India 44% of children under the age of 5 are underweight. 72% of infants and 52% of married women have anemia. Research has conclusively shown that malnutrition during pregnancy causes the child to have increased risk of future diseases, physical and/or mental retardation, and reduced cognitive abilities. India is home to 46.6 million stunted children, a third of world's total as per Global Nutrition Report 2018. Nearly half of all under-5 child mortality in India is attributable to under nutrition. No country can aim to attain economic and social development goals without addressing the issue of malnutrition.

Challenge

One of Balajothi's objectives is to meet the needs of underprivileged disabled children, most importantly nutrition. The importance of a nutritious and well balanced meal cannot be over stressed. With this objective in mind we provide mid-day meals to every disabled child at Balajothi which ensures a healthy body leading to a healthy mind.

Additionally, providing mid day meal acts as a motivation to send the disabled child to school so he would get at least one good meal in a day. However, due to challenges with funds at times we are constrained to settle with just snacks or a fruit instead of a proper meal. This impacts children's attendance at the school and in turn their health & nutrition.

This project intends to raise funds to support the mid-day meals provided at the school, which in turn not only helps with child's attendance at the school but also improves their health, concentration, attention level and nutrition resulting in overall development and progress.

Apart from providing nutrition, these children are taught the process of self feeding or independent eating and eating the right way. We found that most of the disabled children lack in this area of development hence made this as part of our training to make every disabled child to become self reliant in feeding.

Balajothi thanks YOU, DONOR, for your generous and sacrificial giving of $10,637.41 to-date towards this most worthy cause.  We thank you especially for your donation during this period of COVID-19 pandemic raging all over the globe.  Thanks to your kindness our special children are not only safe but also healthy as they stay indoors.

Balajothi thanks GlobalGiving for their consistent endeavors in helping the underprivileged disabled community.  Our grateful thanks and prayers for the safety and welfare of GlobalGiving’s staff and volunteers in their service to the peoples affected during this pandemic.  God bless and keep you safe !!

Project leader